6. THE EVALUATION PROCESS

6.1 PREPARATION

The management and staff of Danida as well as the relevant partners (the country, other development partners, NGOs or multilateral organisations) should be involved in the preparation of evaluations by participating, to the greatest possible degree, in the formulation of Terms of Reference with a view to focusing the evaluation on relevant subjects. Before an evaluation is set in motion, the Evaluation Department prepares, in consultation with relevant interested partners, a description of the evaluation that covers:

• The main objective of the evaluation.
  
  
• The scope of the evaluation: Whether the evaluation shall cover the entire or part of a programme or project, a sector, an instrument of development cooperation or a particular theme (in one or more countries).
  
  
• Specific issues or features to be covered by the evaluation.
  
  
• Prospective approach and methodology.
  
  
• Time schedule.

On this basis, the actual Terms of Reference are prepared. The Terms of Reference form the basis for the selection of the evaluation team and the conduct of the evaluation and shall outline which specific questions the evaluation shall seek to answer.

An evaluation should normally consider the following issues:

Relevance – Are the development interventions relevant to Danish and partners’ development policies, goals and strategies as well as global priorities: poverty reduction, a sustainable environment, gender equality and democratisation and human rights? Is the activity relevant in relation to the needs and priorities of the intended beneficiaries?

Effectiveness – Achievement of objectives: Have the primary objectives identified for the activity been achieved? Have the planned or expected results been achieved?

Efficiency – How economically have resources/inputs (funds, expertise, time, etc.) been converted to results? Are the investment and recurrent costs justified? Could the same results have been achieved with fewer resources?

Impact – What positive and negative, primary and secondary long-term effects have been produced by a development intervention, directly or indirectly, intended or unintended?

Sustainability – The probability of long-term benefits. Will the intended benefits continue when development cooperation is terminated? Is local ownership established?

6.2 SELECTION OF EVALUATION TEAM

Evaluation teams are selected through international competitive bidding in accordance with prevailing regulations.

The criteria for the selection of the evaluation team are professional competence, experience in relation to the task, independence (no conflict of interest) and the quality of the evaluator’s proposal. The team must constitute a representation of the relevant professional expertise. Professional expertise from the partner country shall as far as possible be represented on the team.

6.3 IMPLEMENTATION

Evaluations are typically carried out in three phases. In the first phase the evaluator prepares an operational evaluation plan, consistent with the Terms of Reference. The operational evaluation plan details specific questions, assessment criteria, approach, design, data collection methods, analytical framework, preliminary findings based on documentary review and interviews, provisional conclusions, report outline, and a detailed work plan for the second phase. This may cover further documentation studies, interviews, primary data collection, field observations etc. Any changes from the Terms of Reference are justified and agreed with the Evaluation Department.

Upon approval of the detailed operational plan by the Evaluation Department or, in the case of joint evaluations the steering committee, the evaluator proceeds to the second phase that includes collecting, consolidating and analysing data, establishing and clearing findings of fact, formulating conclusions and recommendations, preparing and clearing the draft report. The third phase entails finalising the report.

6.4 INDEPENDENT REPORTING

Danida favours a participatory approach to the conduct of evaluations. Danida management and staff as well as relevant representatives of partners should be involved in the implementation of evaluations to the greatest extent possible especially at (but not limited to) key stages of the evaluation process: preparation and planning, clearance of factual findings, and discussion of conclusions and recommendations. This involvement takes place through regular and systematic communication with the Evaluation Department and stakeholders through meetings, workshops and seminars as needed over the course of the evaluation.

The evaluation team has the final responsibility for the contents of the report. Any disagreements among the evaluation team or between the evaluation team, Danida, and relevant partners that are significant to conclusions and recommendations must be reflected in the report, either in the form of comments in the text, footnotes or as a special section.

Evaluation reports must be brief and concise, and the presentation must be clear and adjusted to the target group. The normal language is English, and where relevant reports are translated into French, Spanish or Portuguese.